Apollo's tale #1
by FaerieNYC
Summary: what goes through Apollo's mind during the events of issue # 13-16.


Apollo's tale #1 

"Rape and revenge"

Note: this story took place within issue 13-16. It is my insight of what goes on in Apollo's mind in this story arc. 

It all started quite merrily. I was with my life partner, partying , enjoying ourselves,drinking champagne while chatting with some new friends of ours about topics ranging from the treatment of gays around the world to Madonna's soon to be born baby. Midnighter, the name my love held proudly (he really wanted to forget his real name for some reason, I guess the reason is the same as mine), on the other hand, open his oral flood-gates and talked, gossiped, debated and joked without end. I really never saw this side of him before, his "Social" side. He was actually smiling and enjoying himself.

I wasn't much of a talker, really. I am sort of shy and rather unsure of some of the subjects being said. I preferred watching Middie (a pet name I sometimes use for my other) talking and smiling. He was genuinely happy. For once, the both of us didn't feel like we were outcasts. We felt a sense of belonging. I guess this is the reward life gave us for trying to make a finer world.

It all ended abruptly with a radio-telepathy message from Jack. 

" I need everyone to meet at Control and I mean NOW!" 

The control room was littered with beer cans and food particles. It looked like a pig's sty. I couldn't believe Jack had a conversation with The President of The United States in this room not a few hours ago. Suddenly Midnighter tapped me on my shoulders just as soon as we reached the holo-projector. 

"Whose turn is it to do clean-up duty?" 

I was still a bit numb from the champagne but I came to my senses with a shock. 

"Uh … ours?" 

Middie gave a smirk. I knew what that meant. 

The meeting began as soon as Jack got rid the last of the guest, a bulky, kinda cute, Asian-decent, teenage boy with a tattoo of a winged-skull on his chest and a Yin-Yang on his back. For a second, though, I thought I saw Shen blew a kiss at him as Jack kicked his ass out of the Control room. Angie explained the situation that the Carrier detected an energy spike in Singapore, the doctor's last reported location on his search for the baby who might be the reincarnation of out late friend, Jenny Sparks. She also told us that she lost communication with the doctor not 10 minutes before the meeting. 

We were on our way to the junction room when an emergency message was screamed into our heads. 

"I FOUND JENNY!MULTIPLE SPB THREATS! DANGER! NEED HELP! GO TO SINGAPORE NOW!!!" 

It was The Doctor and any idiot who heard his message would know that his in BIG trouble. 

We arrived in Singapore not more than a minute after the message. It was nighttime over there. The area around us, which used to be the CBD (Central Business District) of Singapore have been obliterated by some force. Midnighter took the first move defending the doctor from one of the SPBs who was going to attack him. I went full speed and shot myself through the head of a giant SPB who intended to squash the doctor and a baby. It didn't take me a second to know who the baby was. There were still more that 20 costume-clad, SPBs. We begin swatting them like flies. It wasn't because we were cruel or anything. It was an emergency; we couldn't think any defensive method of stopping them from hurting baby Jenny and further destroying Singapore. They didn't even hesitate on their attacks; it was as if they wanted to fight us. We had to hit them fast and hard. 

I had just finished barbequing an arrow-shooting, Robin Hood wanna be, when I was blinded by bright a light followed by a sharp pain through my back. I had been struck by lightning. The pain spread from my spine to every neural cuticle in my body. I felt it fry through my solar conductors into my energy reserves. I fell like a brick onto the ground. I didn't even get a chance to recover when the punches and kicking began. My shields were down to zero. I was feeling genuine pain. My mind was coming in and out of consciousness because of the pain I was experiencing. I got a glimpse of my attackers. A man dressed like a Viking and another in military-like costume with a ski mask on his face. 

I thought I heard the military guy unzipped as the Viking grabbed my head, smashed it into a car's hood and ripped the lower section of my costume. I tried to struggle but I felt weak. I got a flash of the military man's face. HE WAS SMILING! Fear entered my mind, "What is he doing?" 

Then the realization came to me. I was afraid. I had fought criminals, killed dozens of super-powered clones, destroyed fleets of inter-dimensional warships, cleared the moon of alien implants and fought armies of several countries…yet I was afraid, more afraid than I have ever felt before. Then I felt something enter me; the pain could not be ignored. It went on for a few minutes. I couldn't help but cry. I had been violated and humiliated. But I could think too long before someone hit me on the back of my head and everything went dark. 

When I opened my eyes, I saw Middie holding me tight, crying and screaming violently. He was angry and sad.I touched his lips and whispered his name weakly. He opened his wet eyes and hugged me tighter. I cried as he lifted me up and walked towards a "door". I lost consciousness before he went through the door. 

When I woke up again. I was in the Med-lab on the Carrier. I saw all my friends around me, and some of the new political refugee friends of mine waiting for me to gain consciousness. Middie was right beside me, holding my hands. I wanted to smile, but the memory of the rape was still fresh in my mind. I began to cry. Middie asked everyone to leave. Only he remained at the end. He took precaution approaching me, spreading his arms as he carefully embraced me. 

"We'll get whoever did to you, I promise." 

"No! I want to find them and deal with them myself" 

I didn't want Middie to see me weak. I didn't want him to look down on me. I wanted to be the same person I've always was, I wanted to be the same person he fell in love with. Not some weakling that needed help. 

"That's why I love you", He whispered as he looked into my eyes, wiped my tears and smiled. I received his hug welcomingly. I could feel his warm body under the cold leather coat he was wearing. His warmth comforted me. It reminded me of our fugitive days when he would hold on to me during the cold nights where I would release some of my heat to keep the both of us warm. 

I decided to not to join the group in the meeting room the next day. I was still ashamed of what had happened. I wasn't really happy when Midnighter left for the meeting. I really didn't want he to leave me alone, but he said that one of us had to be in the meeting to check on the situation. I tried to understand but I guess I was still too much of an emotional wreck to put effort on being understanding. Middie understood that. I became restless after he left. I couldn't sleep after having nightmares of the rape. I walked around the space I shared with Middie, sat, turned on the TV and browsed through the hundreds of channels available before stopping at NBC to watch a rerun of an old episode of "Friends". Part of me wanted to forget it all and enjoy the show, but the other part of me was planning of horrible things I would do to my attackers. 

It wasn't long before Middie returned from the meeting. He saw me sulking and pouting and tried to soften me with a lame joke (he still needs to work on his jokes). He then stood behind me playing with my hair and talking about the show I was watching. He paused when he didn't get a response from me. He grabbed my head and directed upwards so I could see him. He smiled, gave me a deep kiss and whispered. I couldn't help but laugh at what he said, at what HE had planned if I were to find my attackers. 

"You are a piece of work, you know that?" 

He gave me one of his sinister smiles. I then realized that he was being serious. On normal occasions I would be uncomfortable with his plans but in this case, I could help and return a smile back at him. As we leave for our bedroom, he began to update me on the situation. I didn't care about that at the moment. I was just glad to have Middie by my side. 

The next morning, I decided to be ready for my next battle. I got out through a Carrier "door" and dive into the naked sky. I could feel the sunlight enter me, fill me with its warmth and power. 

Soon I began to fly around the world following the sun at its peak. As I grace the sky, I remembered what Shen told me about the almost limitless sky and the serenity it and the healing it could provide for a wounded mind and spirit. I grew stronger mentally, spiritually and psionically as I spent more of my time in the sky. I wanted to go back to the carrier after a couple of hours of direct sunlight when Jack instructed me to stay charging longer. He wanted me to be at full capacity for the next battle. 

Hours passed and I was ready and eager. My aura was shinning brighter than it had ever been since the "GOD" encounter. My energy reserves have gone beyond its maximum level. Then came the message from Midnighter. 

"The attack has begun. They are attacking every major city in the world. Go to Washington D.C. I will meet you there." 

I arrived in Washington not less than a couple of minutes. I was the dozens of SPBs had begun destroying monuments ad buildings. I remembered what Jack said about cities being living being and able to feel pain. I grew angry and dove into a group of them at high-speed. The explosion created killed them all and got the attention of the rest of the attackers. Like ants they converge to attack me. Like ants they died as I release 1/10 of my energy reserve in the form of a heat wave that turned everyone within a 30 feet radius into ashes. 

The only one's left were the ones whom I was looking for, the Viking and the military guy. After taking care of the Fabio-look-alike Viking, I chased after the military guy. I remembered what Midnighter had planned and set my laser-sight on a certain spot on the bastard's spinal cord. He fell as soon as I hit the target. Middie told me that the spot would paralyze the guy waist down but would still enable him to have feeling throughout his lower body. I stood in front of him as I wait for Middie to arrive. Even though he was down and as helpless as an up side down turtle, his mouth was still as foul as his bad breathe. I didn't give much attention. I was actually in the verge of smiling when Middie arrived with a large Jackhammer. I actually began to understand his sometimes-sadistic ways…it's actually funny in weird way and a total release of stress and anger. 

I wished I could stay and watch my lover deal with the military guy. Unfortunately, I still had other cities to defend. Though Middie did say that I took a video of the torture, but by the time I was going to watch it, my conscience told me to destroy it. I needed to forget this and move on with my life. The fighting didn't last too long. Shen got to negotiate with Dr Kriegstein, the leader of the attackers not more than an hour after I left Washington. 

We get to talk with Dr Kriegstein after the incident. The Commando (The military guy's code-name) has been known to be a bit over the top (almost psychotic even) so his actions are but of his own intentions and not that of his group. 

I visited him in a mental ward a few weeks later. He was as tame as a puppy though he did go a bit hysterical when Middie came to pick me up. I didn't get to see the video but I still wonder what he did to the guy to turn him from a bastard into a fragile weakling, though when I think about it, I think I'd rather not ask. 

I still got nightmares about the rape every now and then. I didn't cry though, because whenever I had them, I would look at place myself in Middies embrace and held him tight. One night, he noticed me doing this and when he asked what I was doing, I simply replied," I'm just glad I have you by my side." 


End file.
